Matt Damon's 'The Great Wall' Getting Comic Book Prologue 'Last Survivor' in January

Courtesy of Whilce Portacio/Legendary

What does it take to prepare your life for monster fighting?

It's not all attacks from giant monsters at The Great Wall, apparently. Three weeks ahead of the release ofthe epic historical fiction action-adventure monster film starring Matt Damon in U.S. theaters, Legendary's comic book arm will release a graphic novel revealing just what it takes to serve in the most powerful defensive structure ever built.

The 128-page The Great Wall: Last Survivor, written by Rex Mundi creator Arvid Nelson with art by Gian Fernando, takes place more than half a century before the events of the movie and follows one young character who joins the Nameless Order — the secret society dedicated to protecting the wall against the threat of Tao Tei and other monsters — after an unspeakable tragedy leaves him alone in the world.

From that moment on, the hero will have to devote himself to the Order's four core principles — Discipline, Loyalty, Secrecy and Sacrifice — and prepare to surrender his life to the possibility of dying to protect those in his charge … as long as he can survive the training process and the ghosts of his own past.

The model of supporting a Legendary movie property with a graphic novel prequel isn't a new one; ahead of the 2013 release of Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim, the company published Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero, written by the movie's screenwriter, Travis Beacham.

Last Survivor will feature cover art by 1990s comic book legend Whilce Portacio (Uncanny X-Men, Wetworks) and is set for release in stores Jan. 24. The Great Wall is set to bow in theaters Feb. 17.